3 Kings 3
3
1And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon, and he made affinity with Pharao the king of Egypt: for he took his daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
2But yet the people sacrificed in the high places: far there was no temple built to the name of the Lord until that day.
3And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the precepts of David his father. Only he sacrificed in the high places, and burnt incense.
4He went therefore to Gabaon, to sacrifice there: for that was the great high place. A thousand victims for holocausts did Solomon offer upon that altar in Gabaon.
5And the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, saying: Ask what thou wilt that I should give thee.
6And Solomon said: Thou hast shewn great mercy to thy servant David my father, even as he walked before thee in truth, and justice, and an upright heart with thee; and thou hast kept thy great mercy for him, and hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7And now, O Lord God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father. And I am but a child, and know not how to go out and come in.
8And thy servant is in the midst of the people which thou hast chosen, an immense people, which cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
9Give therefore to thy servant an understanding heart, to judge thy people, and discern between good and evil. For who shall be able to judge this people, thy people which is so numerous?
10And the word was pleasing to the Lord that Solomon had asked such a thing.
11And the Lord said to Solomon: Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life or riches, nor the lives of thy enemies, but hast asked for thyself wisdom to discern judgment,
12Behold, I have done for thee according to thy words, and have given thee a wise and understanding heart; insomuch that there hath been no one like thee before thee, nor shall arise after thee.
13Yea and the things also which thou didst not ask, I have given thee: to wit, riches and glory, as that no one hath been like thee among the kings in all days heretofore.
14And if thou wilt walk in my ways, and keep my precepts, and my commandments, as thy father walked, I will lengthen thy days.
15And Solomon awaked, and perceived that it was a dream. And when he was come to Jerusalem, he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered holocausts, and sacrificed victims of peace-offerings, and made a great feast for all his servants.
16Then there came two women that were harlots, to the king, and stood before him:
17And one of them said: I beseech thee, my lord, I and this woman dwelt in one house, and I was delivered of a child with her in the chamber.
18And the third day, after that I was delivered, she also was delivered: and we were together, and no other person with us in the house, only we two.
19And this woman's child died in the night: for in her sleep she overlaid him.
20And rising in the dead time of the night, she took my child from my side, while I thy handmaid was asleep, and laid it in her bosom: and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but considering him more diligently when it was clear day, I found that it was not mine which I bore.
22And the other woman answered: It is not so as thou sayest, but thy child is dead, and mine is alive. On the contrary she said: Thou liest; for my child liveth, and thy child is dead. And in this manner they strove before the king.
23Then said the king: The one saith, My child is alive, and thy child is dead. And the other answereth: Nay, but thy child is dead, and mine liveth.
24The king therefore said: Bring me a sword. And when they had brought a sword before the king,
25Divide, said he, the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
26But the woman whose child was alive said to the king (for her bowels were moved upon her child): I beseech thee, my lord, give her the child alive, and do not kill it. But the other said: Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
27The king answered, and said: Give the living child to this woman, and let it not be killed; for she is the mother thereof.
28And all Israel heard the judgment which the king had judged: and they feared the king, seeing that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment.
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3 Kings 3: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
1 Kings 3
3
The Lord Appears to Solomon
1Solomon made an alliance # Lit Solomon made himself a son-in-law with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter. # Dt 7:3; 1Kg 7:8; 9:24; Ezr 9:14 Solomon brought her to live in the city of David # 2Sm 5:7; 7:8; 9:10 until he finished building his palace, # 2Sm 7:1-2 the Lord’s temple, # 2Sm 6:1,14; 1Kg 6:37; 7:51 and the wall surrounding Jerusalem. # 1Kg 9:15 2However, the people were sacrificing on the high places, # Dt 12:13-14 because until that time a temple for the Lord’s name # Dt 14:23 had not been built. 3Solomon loved the Lord # Dt 6:5 by walking in the statutes of his father David, # 1Kg 3:14 but he also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
4The king went to Gibeon # Jos 9:3-27; 21:17 to sacrifice there because it was the most famous high place. He offered 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar. # 2Ch 1:3,6 5At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon # 2Ch 1:7-13 in a dream at night. # Nm 12:6; 1Kg 9:2; 11:9 God said, “Ask. # Mt 7:7; Jn 15:7 What should I give you? ”
6And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and # Lit and with You integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, # 1Kg 1:48 as it is today. # 1Kg 2:4; 9:4; 2Ch 1:8
7“Lord my God, You have now made Your servant king in my father David’s place. # 2Ch 1:8 Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership. # Lit am a little youth and do not know to go out or come in # 1Ch 29:1; Jr 1:6-7 8Your servant is among Your people You have chosen, # Ex 19:5-6; Dt 7:6 a # Lit chosen many people too numerous to be numbered or counted. # Gn 15:5; 22:17 9So give Your servant an obedient heart to judge # Dt 1:16-17 Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours? ” # 2Ch 1:10
10Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this. 11So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life # Lit for many days or riches for yourself, # Jms 4:3 or the death # Lit life of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to understand justice, # 1Ch 22:12 12I will therefore do what you have asked. # 1Jn 5:14-15 I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again. # 1Kg 4:29-31; 10:23-24 13In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, # Mt 6:33; Lk 12:31 so that no man in any kingdom will be your equal during your entire life. # 1Kg 10:23 14If you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.” # 1Kg 3:6; Pr 3:1-2
15Then Solomon woke up # Gn 41:7 and realized it had been a dream. # Dn 2:3; 4:5 He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, # 2Sm 6:12 and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. # 1Sm 11:15 Then he held a feast # 1Kg 8:65 for all his servants.
Solomon’s Wisdom
16Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. # Dt 16:18-19; 2Sm 15:2-4 17One woman said, “Please my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was in the house. 18On the third day after I gave birth, she also had a baby and we were alone. No one else # Lit No stranger was with us in the house; just the two of us were there. 19During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She laid him at her breast, and she put her dead son in my arms. 21When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to.”
22“No,” the other woman said. “My son is the living one; your son is the dead one.”
The first woman said, “No, your son is the dead one; my son is the living one.” So they argued before the king.
23The king replied, “This woman says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.’ ” 24The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought the sword to the king. 25Solomon said, “Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26The woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she felt great compassion # Lit because her compassion grew hot # Gn 43:30; Jr 31:20; Hs 11:8 for her son. “My lord, give her the living baby,” she said, “but please don’t have him killed! ”
But the other one said, “He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two! ”
27The king responded, “Give the living baby to the first woman, and don’t kill him. She is his mother.” 28All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they stood in awe of the king because they saw that God’s wisdom # 2Sm 14:20; 1Kg 3:9,11-12 was in him to carry out justice.
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